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Joan Holloway
Joan P. Harris (née Holloway) was the office manager at Sterling Cooper advertising agency. She was born on February 24, 1931. Early Life Little of Joan's early life is mentioned within the series. Its not until Season 5, we learn that Joan was raised by her mother Gail Holloway - a woman who is supportive of her but their relationship at times appear to be somewhat tempestuous. In the episode A Little Kiss it is suggested that Gail has a drinking problem, though it is not explored any further. Little is known about her father or his whereabouts during her childhood. We do know at some point Joan did go to college, by reason of Carol her roommate in Season 1. Sterling Cooper Joan is introduced as the head of the secretarial and steno pool, as Sterling Cooper's Office Manager. Her daily responsibilities include to tend to the needs of the executives and to manage and assist her fellow secretaries. She is also seen in important meetings with Head of Staff and reminding the male executives of their duties to their clients. In Season one, Joan is first seen ushering an innocent and naive Peggy Olson into her new job as secretary to Don Draper. As the season progresses we see Joan act as the number one place for advice, especially for the young women at the office. In the episode Babylon we learn that Joan has been having a lengthy affair with Roger Sterling, which we later learn has been going on since the mid 1950's. The seriousness of that relationship however is not realised until the tenth episode, Long Summer where Roger suffers a heart attack in the office and then suffers yet again a second heart and Joan is called into aid him. Upon Rogers temporary departure we see a slightly lighter side to Joan in the episode Nixon vs Kennedy, to which the office decides to have a party while watching the Nixon vs Kennedy Presidential Election. In this episode we learn that Joan and copywriter Paul Kinsey had a relationship. It isnt known how long this relationship lasted however, we do know that it didn't end well. When Paul asks Joan, "What did I do wrong?" she is quick to reply, "You have a big mouth". Towards the end of the season when Peggy Olson gets promoted to Junior Copywriter, Joan temporarily fills in as Don Draper's secretary. In Season two, things seemed to have cooled between Joan and Roger. And we are in fact introduced to Joan's fiance Greg Harris. We see more into Joan and Paul's fiery relationship when they clash over Paul's new girlfriend, an African American woman named Sheila White, to which she comments, "The last thing I would've taken Paul for is open-minded." and to retaliate Paul posts a xerox of Joans drivers license to the staff notice board revealing Joan is in fact in her thirties - to which she retaliates by letting Paul know he will not be joining Pete Campbell on a trip to California (a trip Paul was very much looking forward to) and instead letting him know Don will be going in his place. Much to Joan's dismay Roger takes up with Don's new secretary Jane Siegel, after Roger gave Jane her job back after Joan fired her for breaking into Burt Cooper's office. In the middle of the season Joan is torn between wanting to be a well-off housewife one day with a family and being a bored, lonely housewife, however her feelings are apprehended when Harry Crane gives her additional reponsibility by reading television scripts in order to determine ad placement. That is until she is replaced by a young, clueless man - much to her surprise. In the episode Six Month Leave we see effect of Marilyn Monroe's death has on Joan, where she cannot help but see the similarities between her and Monroe, to which Roger comforts her and tells her she will not end up in despair and alone like Monroe did. Near to the end of the series, with Don away Joan brings Greg to the office to introduce to the fellow employees at Sterling Cooper. Upon Joan introducing Greg to Roger, Greg notices that Roger knows a lot or perhaps too much about Joan. Asking her about it she replies that its because shes worked for him for nine years, revealing Greg doesnt know about the relationship between Joan and Roger. Greg then askes Joan to fix him a drink in Dons unoccupied office, he follows her in, locks the door, forces her onto the floor and rapes her. Joan however remains his fiance. During the gap between Seasons two and three, Joan and Greg have married. In the third episode Joan and Greg host a dinner party for Gregs boss and colleague, it is revealed that during surgery Greg had gone wrong - Joan oblivious to the news until the dinner party is forced by Greg to sing an Americanized French version of the song C'est Magnifique on the accordian. Managing to stay cool and collect during her rendition Joan stares disappointedly furious at Greg. During the middle of Season three it is revealed that Joan was to leave Sterling Cooper in order to start a family with Greg, although during her leaving party secretary Lois Sadler runs over Lane Pryce's replacement's foot with a lawnmower Ken Cosgrove had brought into the office that morning, Joan springs to action applying a tourniquet to the British Executives leg. Upon leaving Sterling Cooper, Joan is seen by Pete Campbell working at Bonwit Teller as a Sales Associate due to the fact that Greg failed to get the promotion for Chief of Surgery. Here she mentions to Pete that Greg is now going into psychiatry. In spite Joan helping Greg prep for his interview for the psychiatry, he fails yet again. During a heated argument between Greg and Joan he accuses her of not knowing what it feels like to want something your whole life and not get it, to which she realiates by smashing a vase on his head. This prompts Joan to make a call to no other than Roger Sterling. During a flirtatiously laced call she asks him to help her find an office job. Without informing Joan on his decision, Greg then reveals he has enlisted in the Army to become an Army Surgeon, and that she wont ever have to return to work again. Despite this when Joan recieves a phone call of Roger to be part of Don, Roger, Lane and Burts plan to leave Sterling Cooper, it is revealed that Joan is essential to the operation due to the fact that she is the only employee who knows truely how the office functions. After helping them move account files and cilent records, Joan, Don, Roger, Burt, Harry, Pete and Peggy start work out of the The Pierre Hotel as the newly formed Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Married Life Joan gets engaged to Greg Harris, a physician at St. Luke's Hospital, early 1962. The marriage is first mentioned in the New Girl. Jane later tells Joan that the two will be very happy together. Later, Joan takes Greg to the office to introduce him to coworkers. When Greg meets Roger, he suspects that there is something more between the two then meets the eye. She tells him it is because she has worked with Roger for nine years. They later enter Don's office where Greg asks Joan to "pretend I'm your boss" and forces himself upon her despite her protest that "this isn't fun." He pins her to the floor, saying, "This is what you want, right?", and rapes her.The Mountain King She marries Greg on Christmas later that year and leaves the company shortly thereafter on the assumption that Greg would be getting a promotion which would mean she would no longer need to work. Months later, after being married, Joan and Greg tidy up their apartment for a Saturday night dinner party. At the party, the conversation turns to the hospital and a mishap that occurred while Greg was performing surgery. To deflect attention from himself, Greg encourages Joan to play her accordion for the guests.My Old Kentucky Home After his attempts at becoming a surgeon failed, Joan coaches Greg for a psychiatry residency interview. Greg returns home and sulks to Joan because his interview went poorly. Referring to his surgery career, he says that she doesn't know what it's like "to want something your whole life" and not get it. Joan bashes his head with a vase. Later, Greg returns with flowers and a surprise announcement that he has joined the army.The Gypsy and the Hobo Pete Campbell runs into her working at Bonwit Teller when Greg does not receive a promotion at the hospital. Joan later places a call to Roger Sterling's office after hours, asking him to help her find another office manager's job. A New Company When rumors of the purchase of parent company of Sterling Cooper reach Don Draper, he pushes the senior partners to attempt a purchase of the company. After presenting an offer, they realize it's a lost cause, until they hit upon an idea. Pryce, the representative from PPL with authority over everyone at Sterling Cooper, agrees to fire the senior partners, thereby severing their contracts (including the no-compete clauses in their contracts). They secretly round up a list of clients loyal to them, steal important documentation that will smooth the transition and select Pete Campbell, Peggy Olson, and Harry Crane as the first employees. Joan knows her way around the office and is brought in to help with the 'acquisition' of items from the Sterling Cooper offices and becomes an employee of the new Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.Shut the Door. Have a Seat One Year Later While making Greg fresh squeezed orange juice, Joan sliced open her finger. She insisted that they go to the hospital, but Greg was able to stitch her finger. After he finished successfully stitching her finger, she looked at him and began to cry.The Good News In the summer of 1965, Greg was preparing for basic training. Joan was upset, even after Greg tried to console her. He suggested that she try to spend time with her friends at work, unaware that she did not get along with many people in the office. He held her close when she began to cry.The Summer Man She cried because she did not relate well with most of the employees at SCDP. She did not feel she is appreciated or respected, whether it is because employees will not clean up after themselves when askedThe Suitcase or because they have been known to insult her to her face in front of a crowd of people and draw lewd pictures of her giving fellatio to Lane. She was angry when Peggy fired Joey Baird for being insulting when he refused to apologize to her. While Joan's husband was at basic training, Roger took Joan out for dinner. While commenting on the condition of the neighborhood they were walking through, they were both robbed at gunpoint. Roger acted quickly, lowering his head and handing all their possessions over to the robber. After the robber ran off, the two caught their breath and in a moment of passion, they began to kiss.The Beautiful Girls She later had to to help move the body of Miss Blankenship, who had passed away at Don's secretary's desk, with the help of Pete while Don stalled a meeting from adjourning. Seven weeks later she and Roger visited Dr. Howlett to discuss aborting the baby. Joan knew she could not go to her regular doctor. Dr. Howlett was appalled by Roger's behavior, but gave Joan information of a doctor out of town to see. She traveled by train to get there and arrived at the office. In the abortion doctor's waiting room, a woman asked Joan how old her daughter was, before she hesitantly told her that the daughter was fifteen. At the office, Joan tells Roger that they "avoided a tragedy."Hands and Knees At the end of "Tomorrowland" Joan was seen updating Greg about her preganancy, implying that she did not go through with the abortion. In the episode, she stated she was seven weeks into the pregancy. Joan1.jpg joan2.png joan3.png joan4.jpg joan7.png joan9.jpg joan10.jpg joan12.jpg joan13.jpg References Category:Female Category:Sterling Cooper Category:Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce